All That I've Got
by Jamez.Blonde
Summary: The pressure from Troy's dad is too much for Troy and threatens to end his basketball and singing career. Maybe even his relationship with his parents...Read and Review please!
1. Chapter 1

Discliamer-I don't own anything related to high school musical. Too bad.

_"I'll be just fine  
Pretending I'm not  
I'm far from lonely  
And it's all that I've got"_

_-All That I've Got, The Used  
_

"Hey Troy! Your ready for the big game?" Chad asked Troy as he walked up to him before school.

"What? Oh yeah, the game. Yeah," he said, sounding a little off.

"Of course he is Chad, he's the captain," said Chad's girlfriend Taylor as she approached the guys with Gabriella. Gabriella saw Troy looking off into the distance and snuck up behind him and threw her arms around his neck, covering his eyes with her hands.

"Guess who?" she asked playfully.

"Huh?" he replied, still distracted.

"Ugh, never mind. What's up with you today?" she asked him.

"Nothing, why?"

"I don't know you just looked a little off."

"Well, I'm fine, I'm just tired."

"You better get a lot of sleep this week cause the game's on Friday," Chad said as the bell rang.

"Yeah, don't want to risk the chance of not being well rested for the big game. The school is counting on you, Troy, to finally bring home the trophy," Taylor said, walking off.

"Hey are you sure you're okay?" Gabriella asked, looking at him with concern in her eyes.

"Yes, I told you I'm fine! Would you quit asking me?" He yelled.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm just worried about you."

"No its my fault, I shouldn't have yelled at you," wrapping his arms around her slim waist.

"Ok, I forgive you, you're too cute to mad at," she said teasingly as she scrunched his cheeks together. They didn't notice Troy's dad watching them from around the corner of the building.

Once the bell rang to announce free period Troy rushed out of the classroom and down the hall toward the locker room. Taylor, Chad, and Gabriella all looked at each other; something is wrong.

"I'll try to get it out of him at practice," Chad said to them as he started his way down the hall as well, " Wait, Troy! Wait up man!"

Troy just looked at him and continued to walk down the hall quickly. Chad turned around and shrugged his shoulders at the girls. They were right, something was definitely wrong.

A/N This idea just popped into my head, so I just wrote the beginning. Please review, I want to know if I should continue. Thanks!

Jamez.Blonde


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Thank you guys so much for reviewing, it makes me write a lot faster (hint, hint). I do have a question though. Would you like me to update more often with shorter chapters or long chapters but with longer breaks. Reviews are definitely appreciated, as well as ideas.

Anyway, here you go. A longer chapter this time!

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"Come on Troy, what did I tell you?" Coach Bolton yelled across the gym.

"Go left," Troy said quietly.

"Yeah, go left. What did you do?"

"I went right."

"And what happened when you went right?"

"I lost the ball," he said shamefully, keeping his eyes focused on his shoes. Everyone in the gym kept quiet, not daring to speak up.

"Yeah you lost the ball! Do you think losing the ball is going to help us win the championship? Do you? Huh? Who thinks that losing the ball will help us win the championship?" he said staring down each payer, especially Troy. No one said a word.

"That's what I thought. Now run it again and do it right, please."

Troy grabbed the ball and started dribbling to half court to restart the play. He dribbled forward taking on the defender. He dribbled, faked to the right, and then passed it left.

"Good, Troy, now run to the middle, good! Chad screen for him! Pass, shoot!" Troy's dad yelled to the players as they ran the play," Nice shot, Troy! Come on pick it up now."

They continued to practice for the rest of the free period, mostly Coach Bolton yelling at Troy for not making shots or the right passes. The coach finally blew the whistle to signal to hit the showers and all the guys went into the locker room with the exception of Troy. Chad, concerned, stayed at the door and watched Troy's dad continue to yell at him and Troy take it. He could hear bits of the conversation.

"…Focused…off the team…get your head in the game…scouts…come on…you can do better…" Troy's father roared on," Go get dressed, I don't want you to be late to class, your grades need as much help as they can."

Chad couldn't believe what he was hearing; Troy's grades were fine. All A's, except for one A-. He looked out the gym door to see Troy coming straight toward him. His eyes were dull and the bright blue color was now a dull gray. Chad quickly walked away before Troy could see him. He swung the door open harshly, slamming it against the wall. He walked into the showers, quickly washed his hair and body, got dressed, and then walked out of the gym to his next class without saying a word to anyone.

" What is up with him today? He's been acting really strange," Jason said. A series of 'yeahs' echoed throughout the locker room.

"I saw him in the gym after practice, his dad was being pretty harsh. I couldn't hear everything, but Troy looked pretty bad," Chad admitted.

"What do we do?" Zeke asked.

He was answered by the bell ringing.

Troy left right after the bell rang, not speaking to anyone. Chad met up with Taylor and Gabriella. Today was Friday and there was no practice.

"So, did you talk to him?" Gabriella asked.

"No practice wasn't exactly the right time," he replied slowly.

" What does that mean?" Taylor said.

" His dad was being pretty rough on him. It was weird, I have never seen his dad like that. He just kept ragging on him."

"Well did you ask if he was okay?" Gabriella asked, concerned.

"No, he just took a quick shower got dressed in the bathroom, and then left."

"Well, I'm going to go over to house later, we're supposed to practice for the play. I'll try to talk to him about it," Gabriella said, starting to walk off.

"Okay, call me when you get home from his house!" Taylor yelled to her as she walked the other way with Chad.

"So I'll meet up with you later, my mom needs help with something today," Chad said walking off leaving Taylor alone.

"Great."

Gabriella walked up to Troy's house, her copies of the songs in her purse and butterflies in her stomach. She walked onto the porch and knocked twice. She saw a blur of blonde hair coming down the stairs, almost falling from being in such a hurry. She laughed inwardly as he opened the door, slightly out of breath.

"Hey! I'm so glad you're here, come in!" he said all in a rush, a smile on his face.

"Okay, thanks…so are we going to go to your room and practice, or…"

"Um, I was thinking that we could go outside around back and do it. Unless you want to stay inside 'cause we can do that too if you want…" he said, becoming quieter at the end, and his eyes becoming dark.

"No! It's okay, outside is great, really," she said, seeing his change in mood.

"Okay, I'll meet you out back in a minute, I just need to grab my stuff."

"Sure," she said watching him walk back up the stairs. She began to walk towards the back yard, but hesitated when she heard his dad's voice

"Who was that at the door Troy?"

"Gabriella, she came over to practice with me for the callbacks," he replied evenly.

"Callbacks? You're supposed to be concentrating on the game Troy! It's in one week! How can you be 100 percent focused on the game when you're practicing for some musical that you don't even care about?" he roared.

"How can you say that? I do care about this musical, you're just caught up with yourself too much to notice," he challenged.

"Don't you dare speak to me like that! I am your father, you will treat me with respect whether you like it or not," he yelled at his son.

"Okay, I'll practice right after she leaves," he said simply, grabbing his notes, and walking down the stairs. Gabriella quickly ran around the side yard, finding that Troy was already there.

"So, have you always had a habit of eavesdropping?" he said quietly playing with the grass.

"I-I no, I mean, I just…I heard your dad and I was worried," she said softly, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"You don't have to be worried, nothing is wrong-"

"How can you say that Troy! Your dad is making you go crazy! It hurts me to see you like this. So is Chad and Taylor. We worried about you," she said.

"You don't have to be! That is a one-time thing; he has never done anything like that before. There is no reason to worry!" He said standing up.

"No it's not! Chad heard him yelling at you after practice today too!" she said in disbelief, mostly that he would lie to her about it.

"Ok, you want me to say it? He has been like this my whole life! He is always putting unwanted pressure on me! He is! Ok, is that what you wanted?" he said frustrated. He leaned against the basketball hoop and slowly slid down it with his head in his hands. She quickly ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his trembling body.

"Shhh, it's ok Troy, let it out, let it all out," she said comforting. He continued to cry when he suddenly pulled out of the embrace.

"You have to go, he's guna see you here and then he'll get madder. Don't tell anyone about this okay? I have to go," he said quickly and ran inside.

She stood there in shock, not knowing what to do. She tried knocking on the door but no one answered. She tried calling his cell phone but he didn't answer.

Troy knew she would try to talk. He couldn't do it though; he had let out a secret he wanted no one to know. He just hoped she wouldn't tell anyone.

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I'll probably update more often...I got grounded.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Here's another update! Hope you like it; remember to review. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Review responses

**Chapter one**

**fanfiction addiction fan-** thanks so much, I'll try to update regularly. It might be hard, as my travel softball team is starting up again. But I will try.

**Maria-**Thank you so much! I was a bit apprehensive at first, but my confidence went up when I saw your review.

**Jean-** Thank you, another update will be coming soon.

**Irene-** Here you go!

**x High School Musical Fan x3-** Thank you for the review, I totally agree with you. I don't understand why they aren't. There are so many fics on this movie. Oh well, here's another update for you.

**BehindMyEyes-** I think by now you should be able to figure out what's going on, I tried to keep it a little mysterious in the first chapter. I'll try to have some more fluff scenes with Troy and Gabriella, maybe even Chad and Taylor. Who knows?

**n1c0le-** I love the Used, they are my personal favorite. Something about them gets to me. I will probably use more of their songs in later chapters, assuming you want later chapters. Thanks!

**StarArrow-** Thank you for the review. I have never watched Summerland, so I have no clue what the story line is. I'm kinda bummed I didn't watch it now. I had no clue Zac was on it. I'm glad you like it. If you have any suggestions you can e-mail me or just tell me in a review.

Chapter two 

**Maria-** I am officially not grounded anymore! Does a little chair dance Thank you so much for your reviews, they mean soooo much to me. I hope you keep reading.

**Dracoisalooker76-**Oh my gosh! I loved your review. I had to show it to all of my friends. I always use the word super and they make fun of me or mock me about it. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who uses it still. One day, super will come back into everyone's vocabulary, at least I hope. Thanks for your review!

**Gonewithdafeather-** Thanks!

**BehindMyEyes-** I am so glad you liked it! Haha, you sound just like me in your review. I am hoping I will be updating regularly, but I may not be able to. Keep reading!

This is not beta'd, all mistakes are mine.

"No, Taylor, I don't know what was bothering him," she lied to her firend. She knew that he wouldn't want anyone to know about what had happened; after all, he was the Wildcats' super star.

"Are you sure? You better not be lying to me, Gabi."

" Look, I have an idea of what may be up with him, but I really shouldn't tell you. I don't even know if it's true," she responded. She didn't want to completely lie to her friend.

"Please just tell me your idea, I won't tell anyone but Chad."

"And then he will tell the basket ball team who will tell the cheerleaders, who will eventually tell the whole school, and then Troy will find out that I told you guys and he will get mad and then he'll get mad and he won't talk to me and we can't do the callbacks-" she said all in a rush.

"Whoa, Gabi, take a breath. I'm sure he won't get mad at you and even if he does, he loves you, he couldn't bear not talking to you."

"Still I don't think I should tell you, when I find out if it's it then I might tell you."

"Ugh, fine, but remember you can trust me," she said," Oh! I have to go to dinner, call me later."

"Ok, bye."

Gabriella looked for Troy all before school with Chad, but he wasn't there. The first bell rang and they both took their seats. Their eyes stayed on the door, waiting anxiously for Troy to walk in the door. He finally did, right at the late bell. He walked slowly to his desk, his eyes glued to the floor.

"Mr. Bolton, you are late again, fifteen minutes after school," Ms. Darbus said.

"It wasn't his fault!" Gabriella shouted. All the eyes were now focusing their attention on her.

"Oh? And how is that?"

"You see, I forgot my book in my locker, and I asked him to go get for me. I should be the one in detention," she said, trying to come up with an excuse. She knew his dad would go crazy if he had detention.

"Oh, well then, you will have detention," Gabriella let out a sigh of relief, "together."

Gabi looked at Troy, whose eyes were dark with frustration and fear. She knew he knew why she did it. But she didn't know if he was mad or not. Their eyes broke apart when the bell rang. Troy leaned over to Chad and whispered in his ear.

"Hey don't tell my dad about this. Tell him that I got sick and went home. Please," he said desperately.

"Yeah, sure man. Are you okay?" Chad said back.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" He said with a fake smile.

"I don't know, I just-" he was interrupted by Jason telling him to hurry up.

"I'll talk to you later, I have to go to detention," Troy said as he got up and walked out of the class. He rounded the corner and bumped into Gabriella.

"Geeze! You scared me!" he said jumping back.

"Sorry, I just thought you might want to walk with someone to detention, and I'm going anyway so…" she replied.

"You didn't have to do that, I would have handled just fine on my own," he said angrily.

"How? By getting yelled at by your dad some more? Maybe even getting hit?"

"Gabi! He wouldn't hit me! Why would you even think that?" he yelled as they walked into detention.

"Look, I'm sorry, I'm just worried about you. I'm afraid that this could lead to worse things," she said, concerned.

"Well, it's not going to, my dad's not like that. He would never do anything like that. He's just trying to make me work harder, that's it!" he said frustrated.

"Okay, okay, I just want to know that if you were in trouble you would come to me or Chad or even a teacher, I don't know. Just tell me you would go to someone if you need help," she said.

"I will, I promise, but I doubt it will come to that," he promised as he bent down and kissed the top of her head.

"Okay…"

"Come on, we don't want to keep Darbus waiting."

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"Alright, guys, huddle up! Come on!" Coach Bolton yelled across the gym. All the players huddled around their dedicated coach, trying to catch their breath.

He looked around, noticing Troy's absence.

"Where is Troy?" he grumbled.

"Oh! He went home early, he was sick," Chad said, covering for him.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah pretty sure. He looked pretty green in calculus." Jason added, knowing very well that Chad was lying.

"Okay then, pair up!" he told them not fully believing them. He was going to find out what was up.

Troy and Gabriella walked, hand and hand, of the school laughing at what had happened in detention. They walked down the street to Troy's house talking when Gabriella noticed a mark on the underside of Troy's forearm.

"What's that Troy?" she asked pulling his arm closer to her face so she could examine the marks.

"Nothing, it's nothing!" he said trying to pull his arm back, but she held her grip on it.

"Troy…are you cutting yourself?" she asked quietly.

"No, no, it was an accident. The razor slipped when I was shaving," he said quickly, trying to pull his arm back still.

"These marks are to in-line to be an accident. Troy, what is going on? I thought you said you would tell me if something was wrong."

"I didn't want you worry, these cuts are nothing. Just a way to make the pressure go away. I wasn't going to keep doing it, I swear Gabi," he said not meeting her eyes.

"I was already worried! And the cuts aren't just 'nothing', Troy, you're hurting your self on purpose. When did you start doing this?" she asked.

"Two years ago," he mumbled

"What?"

"Just when the playoffs come around, he usually isn't that bad. The basketball makes him a little out of character," he said trying to convince her.

"Please don't do it anymore, Troy, I don't want to lose you," she said lifting his chin up so his eyes were looking into hers. He reached out and put cupped her face in his hands.

"I promise I won't," he told her with a smile on his face. She knew it was fake, but she went with it.

"Okay, I have to go this way, so call me later," Gabi said walking away.

"Yeah, I love you," he whispered so quietly that she couldn't hear. But that was how he meant it to be.

"Troy! Where the hell are you? " his dad yelled up the stairs, slamming the door behind him. Troy shot up in his bed as he heard his father's furious voice yell at him. He didn't answer him, he decided to pretend to be sleeping, tired from his "illness".

"Troy? Are you ignoring me?" he continued on, slamming open Troy's bedroom door.

"Dad? What's up? Is everything okay?" Troy asked innocently. His dad's eyes flickered with anger at his son's response.

"What do you mean 'what's up'? You missed practice! You let your team mates down. The game is in four days!"

"I was sick, I am sick."

"B.S., you aren't sick, you never were sick. So I have a question. Where were you instead of basketball?" he asked angrily.

"I had detention," he said quietly.

"Where?"

"Detention," he said louder.

"Why the hell were you in detention, and who for?"

"I was late to Ms. Darbus's class"

"Why were you late? You even left early this morning!" he said getting even angrier by the second.

"I had some things on my mind."

"God damnit Troy! When are you going to learn? You can't have detention when the game is four days! You're supposed to lead your team to victory not lead them into the ground. Get that through your head! The school is counting on you, Troy. You don't want to let them down do you?" he roared.

"No," he mumbled.

"Good, then I suggest you go and practice in the backyard right now, I'll meet you there in 5."

Troy got up slowly, changing his clothes, and tying his shoes. He ran down the stairs, knowing better than to keep his father waiting. He saw his father standing there with a dozen basketballs, cones, and an angry look on his face.

"Oh boy," he thought," This isn't going to be fun."

I am addicted to reviews, please give me a fix to fulfill my craving.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you guys for all your wonderful reviews. I might not be able to give you guys an update for a while, this week is very busy. Remember to Review!

After Troy's exhausting practice with his dad he immediately called Gabriella. His dad was out of control; he needed to calm down.

"Troy? What's up?" Gabriella answered the phone.

"Hi, um…so I was wondering if I could come over to your house?" Troy asked nervously.

"Um, sure, is anything wrong?"

"No, no there's nothing wrong, everything's perfect." He said quickly. He didn't want her to worry about him.

"Okay, well you can come over anytime. I'll be waiting," she said with a smile.

"Alright. Bye." Troy hung the phone up and changed his clothes quickly. He needed to get out of this house. He jogged down the stairs only to come face to face with his angry father,

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Out," He responded briefly. He knew his father would be upset if he knew that he was going to Gabriella's house.

"Where exactly is 'out'?"

"Gabriella's." He mumbled.

"What? Troy, you are supposed to be focusing on basketball, not on some girl that you won't care about in a few months!" He started to raise his voice. Troy hadheard enough.

"Your wrong! I love Gabi, and I just got done with a three hour practice in the backyard. I think I deserve some kind of break."

"You do get a break. When you're at school, right now when you're home. Troy, you don't understand that in order to put 100 percent into that game you have to be fully focused on basketball. You can't be out late with a girl. You see her at school anyway."

"What? You don't think that I'll put a 100 percent into the game on Friday?" Troy was getting really pissed off.

"I just don't think it's good for you to be running around with that, that 'trash'-" Troy cut him off angrily.

"Gabriella is not trash! How dare you say that! God, dad, you think you know what's best for me, but really you have no clue what the hell is going on in my life. So instead of trying to be involved in it and screwing it up, how about you just stay out of it? For a long time too, 'cause right now I cant even stand to be around you. So I'm gunna go to her house, come back later, and hopefully you'll be in bed already or out so I don't have to see you," Troy yelled and stormed out the front door leaving his father speechless sitting on the stairs.

Troy walked to Gabi's door, hoping that she would answer the door. His eyes were slightly puffy from the little bit of crying he did. He was sick of his dad ruining his relationships. He didn't really mean all those things he said. He just wanted to get his dad off his back for a little bit. The front door suddenly opened and Troy jumped back, surprised. Gabriella giggled but stopped when she saw Troy's face. She opened the door more so he could come in. She wrapped an arm around his waist and led him up the stairs. They both fell back on the bed and were silent for a second until Gabriella broke the silence.

"What happened?" She spoke quietly and gently.

"My dad…I just, he expects me to play basketball everyday, every hour. And when I'm not playing I should be studying it or thinking about it. I just…he thinks he's helping me but he's just ruining everything," he said as Gabi rubbed her hand up and down his arm. Just then the phone rang and they both jumped. They heard snips of the conversation.

"_Yes, he is…oh my goodness…I'll tell…when…how did it…okay…I'm so sorry…okay, bye."_ They heard footsteps coming up the stairs that matched the heavy beating of both their hearts. Her mom knocked quietly on Gabriella's door.

"Come in mom."

"Um, Gabi, can I see you for a sec.?" She said motioning to the hall. Gabi got up from her bed, leaving a confused Troy. She shut the door behind both of them, and as soon as it shut, Troy ran up to it and shoved his ear against the door. He couldn't hear a word. He soon heard footsteps coming toward the door again and he jumped back onto the bed. Gabi walked in with a solemn look on her face.

"What? What's wrong?" Troy asked, concerned.

"That was your aunt Troy, on the phone. I don't know how to say this…but um, there was an accident, Troy. Your dad didn't make it. Your mom wasn't in the accident, but she's really upset. She's at your house," She told him. She watched as his eyes flashed with emotion: guilt, hurt, angry, grief, sorrow. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him but he pulled away immediately. When he did he fell forward onto the floor. Gabi rushed to his side when he didn't get up. She could hear his harsh sobs muffled by the carpet. She gathered him up awkwardly in her arms and he continued to cry.

A/N- I'm going to leave it there for now. I'm so sorry for updating sooner or having a long update. My best friend's dad just died, so I'm going to include more Gabriella and Chad POV's since I know more of what they're going through and how they feel. I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this story, so if you have suggestions, PLEASE, tell me. You guys are really great at reviewing, I really appreciate it. I still need some answers on whether I should update more often with shorter updates or longer chapters with longer gaps. I'll try to update in a few days, keep reviewing!


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N- Thank you guys so much for reviewing. It means sooo much._

_**Harvard Yale Girl-** Thank you so much, you have no idea how much that means! They finally made a HSM category! Woohoo!_

_**fanfiction addiction fan-**It's so funny, almost everyone in the reviews say 'poor Troy!'. But it lets me know, I'm doing a good job, I love writing angsty!Troy. This is definitely a different kind of story, but I love going outside the box and trying something new, even if it does crash and burn._

_**Dracoisalooker76-**I have super news! I have now gotten my friends who said 'stop saying super,it is stupid' to say it. But now I have to find a new word for them to make fun of.(I'll let you know what I come up with!) But until then, I will still say super._

_**Irene-**I am starting to write more stories (we belong together, and a new one, Dance.) but I don't want to be one of those writers who have like 50 WIP's. So I'm going to try to finish this before I start any more new stories besides those._

_**BehindMyEyes-** I thought long and hard about having Troy cut. I decided to because it will come back in later chapters. I like reading your reviews because you are the one who will usually find the small things. We are having a huge writing thing in my class and my teacher still thinks she is a high school teacher, even though she is an eighth, and is having us go more in-depth with our creative minds. Thanks so much for your review!_

_**Smileygirl17-**Haha, after I read your review I seriously thought about writing a little one-shot about having Troy's dad killing him by throwing balls at him. Thank you so much for answering my question, you're the only one that did . _

_**Mambosnowchick-** That's a total bummer that you haven't seen the whole movie. Most of the characters in my story are pretty much the same except Troy. Thanks!_

_**peachie1st-** Like I said to BehindmyEyes, I thought a long time about having Troy cut. It's going to come back in the near future, but nothing too graphic. _

_**Mediater 1-** If you didn't know already, I also love Troy angst. I know how you feel when someone won't update so I will try to update as soon as I have free time._

_**Mambosnowchick-** I am so sorry about your friend, losing someone is terrible. I remember the week he died, it seemed like it would never end. But it has been a few months and she's been doing okay. We've hit a few rough patches, but that's to be expected. Keep rockin' hard._

_**Tg luvr-**I will definitely keep that idea in mind! ;) _

_I'm sorry I couldn't do all of the reviews I got, it takes a really long time. I'll try to get to all of you next time._

_PS-I do not own anything except the mistakes. I'm using 0's as my line dividers because FF will eat anything else up. BTW, Karen is Troy's mom, Michelle is Chad's mom, and Rick is Chad's dad._

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"In your eyes..  
I lost my place  
Could stay a while  
And I'm melting  
In your eyes..  
Like my first time  
That I caught fire  
Just stay with me, lay with me now"

_-The Used, I Caught Fire_

The news of Coach Bolton's death traveled quickly throughout the school. Troy's house was quickly becoming filled up with food and the phone was ringing off the hook with people repeating how sorry they are. Cards were constantly at their door and in their mailbox, telling them that if they needed anything, they were there to help. And even though all this was happening, it didn't make either one of them feel better.

Troy spent most of the day after his father's death in his room or downstairs with his mother, comforting her. She constantly told him that he could cry, but he wouldn't. He had to be strong for his mother. Anyways, he had already cried at Gabi's house.

Troy's mom was on the phone when Troy heard the doorbell. He didn't want to answer it, thinking it was another kid who he barely knew coming to give the some more food or a card. He looked at his mother when the person at the door started knocking. She nodded her head, telling him to answer it. He reluctantly walked to the door, passing the bookcase that held his father's old awards. He walked over to it, grazing the picture of his father in his senior year of high school. He felt a stinging sensation behind his eyes but he held the tears in. He took his hand away from the picture and walked the rest of the way to the door. He opened it, revealing Chad and his parents standing at the door. He gave them a small smile and opened the door even wider.

"Come in," He said simply. Chad's mom walked in first and gave a Troy a hug, followed by a handshake from Chad's dad.

"My mom is in the kitchen if you guys want to talk," Troy offered. Mrs. Danforth patted Troy's hand and guided her husband into the kitchen where Mrs. Bolton was waiting, leaving the two friends alone in the hallway. Chad reached forward and pulled him into hug.

"Man, I'm so sorry."

"I know."

"So do you want to talk about it or we can go upstairs…"He trailed off leaving the decision up to Troy.

"I guess we can go upstairs and talk."

"Sure man. What ever you want," he said, following Troy up the stairs. They walked down the hallway silently, Troy pausing slightly as he passed his parents room. Chad put a hand on Troy's shoulder and Troy nodded and started walking again. They sat down on he bed in silence. Chad looked around the room; it was filled with trophies, and pictures of his old basketball team, old pictures of him and Troy playing basketball. But one stood out to him the most. It was a poster of Troy and his dad with the first place trophy when he coached their middle school team. They had gone undefeated the whole season. Chad blinked back the tears that were forming in the corners of his eyes. He looked over at Troy who was doing the same thing.

"Troy, you can talk to me, you know that right? I'll always be here," He said trying to get him to open up.

" Yeah, I know," He said still staring at the picture of him and his dad. He suddenly jumped off the bed, ran to wall and starting to tear down the huge picture. He was clawing at it, ripping it, anything he could think off to take it down. Chad ran over to him and grabbed his hands. He turned him around and wrapped his arms around his friend's trembling body.

" I wish I could take it back," Troy said looking up at Chad

"Take back what?"

"The night he uh-died, I was really harsh to him. I told him that I wanted him to stay out of my life because he was just screwing it up. It's my fault, Chad. He died thinking that I didn't love him. But I do. I loved him so much and now he's gone. What am I supposed to do now?" He asked looking into his friend's eyes for some sort of answer.

"Hey, we'll get through this, Troy. Your father knew you loved him. He was so proud of you Troy, you could see it in his eyes," He said trying to comfort his devastated friend.

"I just-It's only the first day of him not being here and look at me. I don't want him to be gone; he wasn't supposed to die yet. He was supposed to retire in California with my mom, and he was supposed to be here when I graduate. I just can't believe he's gone," He said to Chad looking him in the eyes. Chad had no clue what to say. So he just hugged him tighter as he began to cry.

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"Do you want anything to drink? We have water, milk, soda…wine?" Karen asked Chad's parents.

"I'm alright, thanks," Rick replied.

"No, I'm fine thank you. So, how are you holding up?" Michelle said sitting down at the table across from her.

"I'm okay, mostly just in shock. I'm also worried about Troy. Him and his dad got into fight the night he died. I don't know what Troy said, but it clearly affected Jack-that's why he was out driving. He went to clear his head…" She trailed off looking down at her glass of wine.

"Troy's a strong kid, he has so many friends that will help him through this." Rick said.

"You know, we'll be here if you want to talk," Michelle said, taking Karen's hand. She nodded.

"You know what, we should probably go check on the boys," Karen said, standing up. Chad's parents followed suit and followed her.

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Troy heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs and pulled away from Chad. He stumbled as he ran to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. He locked the door and turned around to see his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were sunken in and he had dark bags under them. His skin was pale and his eyes weren't the bright blue they usually were-they were dull and lifeless. He ran the sink and washed his face. He could hear the adults talking with Chad. He didn't want to go out there and have to face them. He just wanted to stay in his bathroom and not have to face the world. He wanted to wallow in self-pity, brood silently. But he knew he had to come out. He had to be strong for his mom. He took a deep breath and unlocked the door. He walked out coming face-to-face with his mom.

"Where did Chad go?" He asked as he sat on the bed next to her.

"They had to leave. Chad wanted to stay and say bye but his parents had to go," She ran a hand through his hair and ran her fingers down his cheek," How are you doing sweetie? Do you want something to eat? I can make you something."

"No, I'm not hungry."

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked gently taking his hands in hers.

"I remember a few years back when we were visiting Pismo Beach, we were on the pier watching the sun set and Dad said that he had always wanted to live on the beach. That's where he wanted to retire with you. And then he said that he had always wanted to look out into the ocean and see whales playing around. He said that it was one of the things he wanted to do before he died. But that next summer when we were supposed to go was when I got hit by the car, running into the street after the basketball. I told him that we could still go but he refused to go because-"

"He wanted you to be able to experience it as much as you could. You had a tough time on the crutches, so we were stuck at home that summer." She finished. Tears were slowly falling down his face as he leaned into his mother's arms. She rested her head on top of his and kissed his hair.

"We're going to get through this, baby. I want you to promise me something, Troy," She said releasing him and lifting his head so he was looking directly into her eyes.

"What?" He whispered.

"Don't give up, we both it's going to be hard, but please promise me you will keep going, no matter how hard it gets." Troy looked into her eyes and nodded.

"I promise, mom."

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_A/N So I was going to write more, but that seemed like a good place to end. Sorry for not updating in forever, these past weeks have been VERY busy with school sports, projects, and essays. Softball is also killing me right now. Please review, it makes me happy and a happy blonde writes faster!_

_I was reading this article onthe web that was interviewing Ashley and Zac that asked Zac if that was him that was singing and this was his reply,"It depends on the song. When we started recording the album we were in the middle of basketball rehearsals and all the dancing and practicing for all the stuff. There was another boy, Andrew Seely, who came in. They mixed his voice with mine. So in the movie it's a medley of our two voices."_

_I just thought that was kinda interesting.I__ have an idea brewing but suggestions are definatley appreciated. Review!_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N-Thanks guys so much for reviewing, it makes me very, very happy! I am really enjoying writing this story, so you will probably have a lot more updates in the next few days._

_**ZacEfronluver**-I can always rely on you to have one of the first reviews I sent you a message about the link I hope you got it, if not here it is-http/ so glad you liked it! The end of the chapter, in a way, was easy to write, because like I said before, the whole thing is very realistic to me an in some cases I've had parts of these conversations before with my friend. _

_**Harvard Yale Girl-**I will definitely be continuing this story, I know what it's like reading a story and having the author never continuing it. I will definitely be starting more hsm fics sometime in the near future. _

_**The Flame Fox-**Thanks so much for reviewing, I kinda like the bittersweet thing. Please keep reading and reviewing!_

_**Shellyxlove-** Sorry for not making that clear. Gabi and Troy aren't officially dating. They will start realizing it during the whole ordeal of Troy's dad dying._

_**Monkey402-** Thank you! That means so much to me! Now that I read that I'm wondering what his voice really sounds like. Maybe in the next High School Musicals they make. Whoo Hoo on number 2!_

_**Dancerlittle- **Gabriella will definitely help Troy through this since, well in this story, her dad is also dead. There will also be some 'cheering up' in the next few chapters :0)_

_I still don't own anything and it's still not beta'd._

_Now for the story…_

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"Did you guys talk about it at all? What was he feeling? Did you ask him questions-how was he feeling, what did he want to do, things like that? Do you know when the funeral is? Chad! Are you ignoring me? I need answers!" Taylor shouted into the phone.

"Whoa, Tay. I would give you answers but you're screaming in my ear."

"Oh, sorry."

"It's okay. And yes we did talk. He said that it was his fault he died. I guess they had a fight and Troy said some things that he didn't really mean. After that Troy left to Gabriella's and his dad left to clear his head. He was hit by a drunk driver, killed instantly," Chad told her. Taylor took in a deep breath, taking in all the information.

"I think the funeral is tomorrow at 10:00. I can pick you up if you want. Have you heard from Gabriella? I know that Troy was over there when he found out," He asked her.

"No, I was thinking I would go over there this afternoon. Do you want to come?" She asked.

"I would like to, but I think that my mom and dad are going over to Troy's again, so I was thinking I would go over there."

"Okay, tell him I said 'hi', and that I'm here for him okay?" She told him

"Yeah, I will. Bye, I love you."

"I love you, too. Bye."

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"Hi, Ms. Montez, is Gabi here?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah, come in, I think she's up in her room. You can go up."

"Thanks," She said, walking up the stairs to Gabi's room. She knocked on the door and got no answer. She pushed the door open and found an empty room. She walked around, heading toward the balcony.

"Gabi? Are you here?" She asked, worried.

"Yeah," came a soft voice from behind the bed. Taylor ran to where the voice came from. There was Gabi, sitting against the bed, tears on her face, with a picture in her hands.

"Gabs? What's up? Are you okay? What's that a picture of?" Taylor asked sitting down next to her. Gabi wiped the tears that were running down her face.

"This whole thing with Troy's dad has just brought up memories of mine. Their family doesn't deserve this. It's not fair. They shouldn't have to go through it like we did," She said tearing up again.

"Do you want to talk about it? I'm right here," She said stroking Gabi's hair.

"It feels like he's been gone forever but it's only been one year, I miss him so much."

"Is that him?" Taylor asked her, pointing to the picture in Gabi's lap.

"Yeah, it was my birthday party, right before he died. We had a blast. He died about a month after that, he had a heart attack. Have you heard anything about Troy?" She asked changing the subject.

"Chad saw him yesterday. They talked for a little bit and then Troy went into the bathroom. He wanted to stay but before Troy came out he had to leave. The funeral is at 10 tomorrow, Chad said he could pick us up," She told her, still worried how this was effecting her.

"I would really like to, but I think I should go with my mom. I mean it just might be too much for her and I need to be there for her. Maybe you guys could sit with us?" She asked, wiping the tears off her face.

"Yeah, definitely," She gave Gabi a hug when they stood up.

"You know, now, I'm regretting not ever getting to know Mr. Bolton. We met once before, but it didn't go well. I never went over to his house either. He always came to mine. I just, I wish I could've made things right with him," Gabi said letting out a long breath.

"I have an idea," Taylor said suddenly. Gabi gave her a questioning look so she continued," Instead of moping around, like we're going to be doing tomorrow, let's go get ice cream!"

"I don't know Tay," She replied. Was it too soon to go be happy?

"Maybe Chad and Troy would want to go, you know get Troy out of the house-" Gabi interrupted her.

"Taylor, his dad died two days ago, the funeral is tomorrow. I'm not so sure he's going to want to go out for ice cream…"

"Listen, I'm not saying I know what it feels like to lose someone that important to me, but if I was in that position, I would want to hang out with my friends, make life go back to normal-" She was interrupted again.

"See that's the thing, his life will never be 'normal' again, he's not going to have a dad for the rest of his life!" She was getting a little angry.

"I know that, I'm sorry for saying that, but didn't you want to be around your friends when your dad passed?" She asked putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," She said smiling a little.

"When am I not?" Taylor said jokingly. They both laughed," I'm going to call Chad. You need to go clean yourself up."

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Chad flipped his phone shut and turned around to see Troy looking at him.

"Who was that?" He asked

"That was Taylor, her and Gabriella are going out to ice cream and they wanted to know if we wanted to come, you know, get yourself out of the house." Troy hesitated.

"I don't know, my mom…"

"My parents are here, they'll take care of her," He said, trying to convince him.

"Fine, but you're paying for me. I'm broke," He said smiling slightly for the first time since he had gotten the news.

"Alright, let's go."

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"See man, aren't you glad you came?" Chad said as they sat down to eat their ice cream.

"Yeah, you guys were right," He admitted, taking another bite of his ice cream.

"You know what, I want sprinkles, do you guys want any?" Gabriella said suddenly. No one answered. She shrugged and stood up, ice cream in hand. She took a step, not realizing that Taylor's foot was on her undone shoelace. She fell forward, putting her hands out in front of her. Her hands hit the ground first, then her face, which landed in her ice cream. She immediately pulled her face out, and the rest just laughed. She had ice cream dripping down her face and bits of cone stuck to her forehead. She was about to stand up when a hand appeared in front of her face. She looked up and saw Troy standing there with a huge smile on his face.

"Come on, I'll help you get cleaned up." She reached up and grabbed his hand, feeling butterflies in her stomach when they touched. He pulled her up and she dusted herself off. He put a hand on her shoulder making sure she didn't fall when she walked again. They walked back into Coldstone and opened the door to the huge, one-person bathroom. Troy looked around for paper towels, and when he didn't find any he took off his long sleeve shirt, leaving him in a wife beater, and started to run it under the sink.

"Troy! What are doing?" She asked, shocked and confused.

"Well, there isn't any paper towels so I'm using my shirt," He replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why would you ruin your shirt when we could've gone and asked the lady for napkins?" She asked turning off the sink. He turned it back on letting the water run over his shirt for a little bit longer.

"Because this is easier," He said picking off the chunks of cone off her face and throwing them away. She smiled at him and they locked eyes for a moment. There was something weird about them. Like they were just empty. But she understood that-he had just lost his dad. It was the same way hers looked when her dad died. He started to wipe her face with his shirt, she inhaled his scent as it passed by her nose, and she savored it. He smelled so good.

"How are you holding up Troy?" She asked as he rung out his shirt, and switched sides so the dry part was now against her face.

"I'm okay, I guess still in shock ya know?" He said.

"Yeah, I know." He looked at her confused-how did she know how it feels? She continued," I know I kinda led on that my mom and dad got a divorce but they didn't. My dad died about a year. Heart attack. It was just sudden. Mom and me were out of town and my older brother was home from college on his break. He went to a party, stayed out late, and came home. My dad was already asleep but my brother heard him coughing in the middle of the night. He didn't think anything of it-it was just coughing. Anyway, the next morning my brother woke up kinda late, around eleven and noticed my dad wasn't up yet. He ate breakfast and then went into our parents' room to wake him up. He tried to wake him up but nothing happened. He had had a heart attack in the night and we didn't know."

"Wow, Gabi, I am so sorry," He said sitting down on the toilet. He let a deep breath.

"I just wish I could take those things back that I said to him. I was awful to him," He said, putting his hands on his face and shaking his head.

"I know you probably don't want to say it but what did you tell him?" She asked, scooting him over so they were both sitting awkwardly on the seat. His eyes flashed with emotion, scaring her slightly.

"I told him that he was messing everything up, that I wanted him to get out of my life. I was horrible and now he died thinking that I hate him," He said trying to hold back the tears. She wrapped her arms around him and she could feel his warm tears on the exposed part of her chest.

"Let it out Troy, it's okay, just let it out," She said soothingly, running her fingers through his hair. His body trembled in her embrace, but she held him tight," It's going to be okay, I love you Troy." He looked up at her with his tear stained face," I love you Troy, so much. Probably from the first time I saw you."

"I love you too," He said burying his head into her shoulder.

"Come on, Chad and Taylor are probably worried." He nodded and sat up grabbing his dirty shirt and opening the door. They walked out hand in hand getting questioning stares from people in the ice cream store. Gabriella then realized how it must have looked when Troy and her walked out of the bathroom his shirt in his hand and his face tear stained along with her dampened face and how long they were in there. Her face turned red and she quickened her pace out of the store.

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"Troy? How was ice cream?" His mother called out to her son when she heard the front door open and then close.

"Um…it was good," He said sitting down next to his mom on the couch.

"Are you okay? Did something happen?" She asked, worried at her son's mood.

"Have you ever met Ms. Montez?" He asked suddenly.

"Troy why are you calling Gabriella Ms. Montez? Only your…um, only your father called her that. Did something happen between you two?" She asked, brushing back Troy's hair.

"No, mom, Gabi's mom is Ms. Montez."

"She's not married?" She was so confused.

"She was, but Gabi's dad died last year. And she was so upset today, I mean, the death of dad brought up memories of hers and I feel so bad. I don't want her to be in pain because of me," He told his mom.

"Troy, don't you dare go blaming this on yourself. It was the other driver's fault. He was drunk," She said raising her voice.

"Yeah, he might have been but I was the one who made dad go out and clear his head!" He didn't know why she didn't understand-everything was his fault. Gabi's pain, his pain, his mom's, his dad's death, missing the championship game and letting his school down.

"Honey, you didn't make him anything. It was his choice. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. That's it," She said calmer, wiping away stray tears that slid down Troy's cheek.

"But if I hadn't have said those things-"

"Wrong place at the wrong time," His mom murmured into the top of his head," Troy, not once have I seen you cry since this happened. It's not healthy, if you need to talk or cry, just come to me, please."

"I don't want to go tomorrow," He told her holding more tears back. He wouldn't let her see him weak. His dad said to always be strong in front of girls or women.

"Who ever would? But we have each other, that's the most important thing. Now go upstairs and get ready for bed. We have to be at the church at 9:30 so get up maybe at 8:30?" She said kissing his forehead.

"Okay…mom, do you ever feel weird sleeping in your bed with out him?"

"Every night."

"Um, can I sleep with you tonight? I just, I don't want you to feel lonely," He asked her hesitantly. She held back her tears that were burning behind her eyes and nodded," Alright, I'll see you upstairs."

"What am I going to do?" She asked the ceiling.

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_A/N There you go for now, I'll try to get the next one up in the next few days. Some of you may be asking what is she talking about when you read the last line, but I will assure you that in the next chapter you will know what she meant._

_This chapter was kinda weird to write because most of it happened to me or my friend. The way Gabriella's dad died was sorta the way my friend's dad died. I don't think it was a heart attack though. The ice cream thing did go differently. I don't' really want to go into details but if you want to hear it then I can email it to you (although I don't know why you would want to hear it.)_

_As I read through I noticed the last scene was kinda weird about sleeping in the same bed with his mom, but it is nothing out of the ordinary-besides the fact that a 16 year old wants to sleep with his mommy._

_I'm really depressed. We had this whole last week off and tomorrow is the first day back.(Sigh) I am really getting pissed off that FF won't let us do symbols or or line dividers or what ever. If someone knows why we can't, please tell me._

_Read and Review :0_)


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N Keep up the great reviews; they make me want to write more!_

_BTW-I forgot to add this scene but they moved the championship back a week for Troy and to find a new coach._

_The song that is in the background during the funeral is called "For The Widows in Paradise, For The Fatherless in Ypsilanti by Sufjan Stevens. Check it out, it's a great song._

_New character- Landon, who is Troy's older brother. _

_Also in this chapter, Mrs. Bolton's secret._

_This is not beta'd, all mistakes are mine. I own nothing except for Landon._

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The next morning Troy woke up to the sound of retching coming from the bathroom. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and swung his legs off the bed. He opened the door to find his mother crouched on the floor, pale, clutching the porcelain toilet seat as if it was her last lifeline.

"Mom? Are you okay? What happened?" He asked kneeling down next to his mom on the floor wiping around her mouth with a washcloth.

"Yeah, I'm fine sweetie, just a little nauseous, that's all. Probably just nerves," She said smiling at him sadly.

"Oh, are you sure?" He asked, concerned. She nodded and he helped her off the floor. He grabbed the cup that was sitting on the sink, filled it with water and handed it his mother who drank the liquid, swished it around her mouth and spit it out in the sink.

"Yeah, I'm fine, now go take a shower, we have to leave in 25 minutes," She walked out of the room leaving Troy alone in the small bathroom. He turned on the shower and began to undress. He stepped into the burning hot water, letting it scorch his back. That was when he noticed the razor sitting on the shelf under the showerhead.

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The basketball team wore their jerseys to the funeral, showing their respects to their deceased coach. Gabi and Taylor wore simple black dresses like everyone else in the church. They took their seats and found Troy, sitting up front with his mother and another older guy that Gabi had never seen before. He looked a lot like Troy, dirty blonde hair and tan skin. The doors were shut and a loud voice boomed over the people in the church.

"Please, would the younger kids and teenagers please move to choir seats on the stage in front so everyone can fit. Thank you." Gabi, and Taylor made their way up to the front, trying to see Troy's face, but failing tremendously. They could barely get a glimpse of him. Before she knew it the ceremony started. Gabi knew this routine all too well. Singing, talking, then a picture remembrance, family members talk, and then the ending. The first three parts went by quickly and it was soon Troy's turn to speak. He slowly walked up the steps and opened a piece of paper that was neatly folded. He cleared his voice and began talking.

_"I have called you children, I have called you son…_

"For those of you who knew my dad, you all know what a great person he was. Not only was he a great dad, but he was also a great coach and teacher," Troy started.

…_What is there to answer if I'm the only one…_

"He had three dreams in life one of which was to watch me and my brother play in the NBA together." He took a deep breath and looked at the people's faces in the church.

…_Morning comes in paradise; morning comes in life…_

"He also wanted to have a lot of grandchildren. But most of all, he wanted to see us be happy and successful. "

…S_till I must obey still I must invite..._

The tears in Gabi's eyes were now streaming down her face. Taylor squeezed her hand and Gabi looked up at her. Taylor nodded to where Troy was standing and she looked over at him. She could see the little piece of paper moving up and down from his shaking hands.

…_If there's anything you want, if there's anything to do…_

Troy continued." As soon as I could walk my dad was trying to get me to play basketball. It was the sport he loved and the sport I eventually fell in love with. If he wasn't the coach of my team, he was always there at my games. He was at every game for every minute …"

…_If there's any other way…_

"…cheering me on, telling me what to do, where to go. And after every game, no matter how I did he would always say, 'You played great! I'm so proud of you!'…"

…_I'll do anything for you…_

" Those words made me feel like I was on the top of the world, like nothing could bring me down. And now I look back and remember he was always there for me to tell me, I'm so proud of you, but I was never there for him. I never told him that I was proud of him…"

_…I was dressed embarrassment, I was dressed in wine…_

"So I'll tell him now…"

_…If you had a part of me, will you take you're time…_

… _Even if I come back, even if I die…_

He took another deep breath. "I'm proud of you dad! I'm so proud of you! I'm proud of you, I always will be…" He sobbed. He didn't care who was watching, he just wanted to let it out.

…_Is there some idea to replace my life…_

" I love you so much dad, more than you will ever know…"

_…Like a father to impress; Like a mother's mourning dress… _

…_If you ever make a mess, I'll do anything for you…_

"I know people say you're in a better place know, but what I don't get is that, I didn't think there was a better place than right here with us…"

_…I have called you preacher; I have called you son... _

_  
…If you have a father or if you haven't one…_

"I don't know why you left, or if it was all part of his plan, but I do know that we will miss you, so much. And the championship game? This win is for you…"

_  
…I'll do anything for you. I did everything for you."_

"I love you, dad." Troy walked off the stage and sat back down next to his brother, leaning into him trying to hide his tears. Gabi was now crying freely as well as Chad and Taylor. The funeral ended and the men in the Bolton family lifted the casket that carried Mr. Bolton's priced possessions- he had been cremated. They left the church soon followed by the rest of the crowd.

The get together that was held after wards was held at Chad's house. The house was filled with kids from school, friends and family. Troy showed up around the end, but he hadn't missed out. It was soon over and the only people left were the Bolton's, Gabriella and her mother, Taylor, Chad, Zeke, Jason, and Kelsi. They sat in Chad's room, talking about school.

"I'm going to go get something to drink, anyone want something?" Troy asked. They stopped talking and turned their attention to him.

"Let me get them Troy, it's okay…" Chad said getting up.

"What? Am I not capable of getting drinks now? Now that my dad is gone?" He asked angry.

"No, I mean…that's not what I meant," Chad stuttered. Why was Troy acting like this?

"What exactly did you mean Chad? Cause it seemed like that to me," He asked, his eyes flashing with anger.

" I didn't mean for it to sound like that, I don't know what I meant. I'm sorry." Chad didn't know what to say.

"No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Does anyone want something?" He asked.

"Yeah, but I'll get by myself I have to pee anyway," Gabi said standing up. Troy was about to protest but she put a finger to his lips. She grabbed his hand and led him down the stairs. They were about to walk into the kitchen when they heard voices coming from it.

"_Are you positive?" _Ms. Montez's voice could be heard

_"I went to the doctor before Jack died and they confirmed it."_ Troy heard his mother's voice.

_"How far are you?"_ It was Mrs. Danforth.

_"7 weeks."_

Troy had stopped listening. He couldn't believe this. His mother was pregnant? That couldn't be right. They wouldn't grow up with a dad. It just wasn't right. He felt Gabi's hand on his shoulder and for the first time, he let her hold him.

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_A/N So, there is her secret. I decided to add a little twist. Please, please, please, review. It makes me happy and I write faster when I am happy. Let me know what you think. Should Mrs. Bolton keep the baby or lose it? I need suggestions! Thanks for reading. I'll try to get the next chappie up in the next few days._


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N- Thank you to the people that reviewed, please keep it up._

_I watched the dance along with my friend and we're really good._

_Yeah right. We were good when it went very slow but when they did it full speed we were tripping over each other and, well, just be glad you weren't there._

_Sorry it takes so long to update, I'm trying my best_

_Hope you enjoy!_

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"…_Let's sleep till the sun burns out…"_

_The Used, I caught fire_

"Honey? Can you come help me with these groceries?" Karen yelled into the house. She was only carrying two bags.

"Yeah, sure, wouldn't want you to carry any heavy weights," He said some what bitterly, mad that his mom hadn't told him that she was pregnant.

"That's very kind Troy, thank you," She replied, sensing a change in her son's attitude," You know, there's something that I need to talk to you about. Can you come in here?"

"Sure, right after I carry in the groceries," He said carrying in the rest of the bags from the car. He put them down on the table and sat dwon on the couch across from his mother.

"Troy, do you remember how you always wanted a younger sibling? Well, there's no easy way to say it…"

"Then don't. You don't have to…."

"What, Troy?" She was confused, did he already know?

"Look mom I already know that you're pregnant. Why didn't you tell me when you first found out?" He asked her looking her in the eyes.

"I just wasn't sure if I was going to keep it-" She was interrupted.

" So if you had an abortion, you wouldn't have told me?" He started to raise his voice.

"Troy, that's not what I meant…"

"What did you mean mom?" His face was turning red with anger.

"I, I don't know. But I'm sorry Troy. I should've told you earlier."

"No, I overreacted, you don't need me being mad at you in addition to the stress you already have," He took a deep breath and asked her what they were both thinking about," Are you going to keep it?"

She sighed." I think I am. As much as it seems wrong to keep it, I can't imagine not having it."

"It's what dad would've wanted. You're right." He leaned in towards his mother and she brushed the hair back from his face. She kissed his forehead.

"It's time for bed. You have to go back to school tomorrow. Let's go, come on." Tory groaned but got up.

"Night mom," He said walking up the stairs.

"Night, love you."

"Love you, too."

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Troy walked off the bus and put his foot on the familiar ground of his school. He walked up the front steps getting sympathetic looks from almost everyone that he passed. He walked to his locker and found Gabi already standing against it.

"Hey Troy!" She jumped off the locker and ran to meet him. She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey Gabs, what's up?" He opened his locker and started taking out his books.

"Not too much, how is you mom? Did you guys talk?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah we did. She's pregnant. And she's keeping it." She looked at him but she couldn't tell whether it was good or bad.

"So is that good or bad?"

"I don't know. It just doesn't seem right for it to grow up without a dad." He looked at her, pain evident in his eyes.

"But it will have you."

"I know, but it's going to miss out on so much. Father-daughter dances if it's a girl, playing catch in the front yard. My dad will never be able to see it take it's first step or hear it's first word. He won't be able to see us graduate-" Gabi cut him off.

"Okay, Troy, stop. It's going to be okay. But you're getting yourself depressed and me sad. We can talk about his later, but now it's time for homeroom." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and intertwined her hand in his. He shut his locker and walked into Ms. Darbus's class.

"Ah, Mr. Bolton, nice to see you again. Are you doing okay?" Ms. Darbus asked as Troy sat down in his seat.

"We're doing alright. Thanks," He said, a little uncomfortable.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks."

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(Two days later)

"Troy do you need a ride?" Chad yelled across the locker room.

"No, Gabi is giving me a ride home. Thanks though! See ya!" Troy yelled back. It was Troy's third day back and the second day of basketball practice with the new coach. The game was in two days and the school was beginning to regain their school spirit since the passing of their coach and teacher. Troy finished getting dressed and grabbed his stuff. He turned the corner and saw his father's old office.

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Ms. Darbus walked out of the auditorium after a long detention. She passed by the gym thinking of Jack Bolton. Deep down she liked him. The truth is, a while back she had had a little crush on him. But she would never tell anyone. She passed by the locker room but stopped when she heard a crashing noise.

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Troy slowly opened the door to the small office. He stepped inside and immediately was over come by his father's cologne. He sat down behind the desk and looked at the papers on top of it. He had an old newspaper, a few new plays that he had created before the accident, and a sandwich bag. He stuffed the plays in his backpack and zipped it back up. He grabbed the picture of him and his dad off the desk and tried to hold back the tears that were forming in his eyes. He stared at it for a few seconds and then sat up and threw it as hard he could at the wall.

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Ms. Darbus considered walking away, but she decided not to when she heard another loud noise. She pushed the door opened to the gym and walked in, her shoes clicking on the hardwood floor. She walked across the court, speeding up each time she heard another noise. She opened the door to the boys locker room, the sounds becoming clearer. There were sounds of breaking glass, big booms, screams, and then silence.

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Troy threw all the papers off the desk, and grabbed the handles on the drawers and pulled them out, letting them collide with the floor. He ran over to file cabinets and ripped the drawers out on them as well. He tore down the poster on the wall, screaming.

"I hate you! I hate you dad! Why did you leave? Why did you leave me and mom alone?" He threw one of the trophies that were on the shelf at the opposite wall. He walked across the room and looked at the huge picture in the glass frame-it was him, his brother, and his parents all at Landon's graduation. He pulled back his arm and then launched it forward into the glass.

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Ms. Darbus rounded the corner of the boy's locker room cautiously, but found nothing. She looked into Coach Bolton's office and saw it was a mess. She stepped in and bent down to pick up the papers when she saw him.

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Troy took his fist out of the wall, looking at what he had done. His fist was covered in broken glass and bits of plaster from the wall. His fingers were numb but searing pain was shooting through his palm. He started to pick the pieces of glass out of his hand, but the pain was starting to overcome him. There were stars in front of his face and he fought back a wave of nausea. He sank to his knees and before he knew it the black engulfed him.

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"Oh, my goodness!" Ms. Darbus strode quickly across the room and knelt down by the unconscious boy. There were tear marks that stained his pale face, and his hand was swollen and now bleeding freely. She shook him gently, trying to get a response. His eyelashes fluttered against his face and his blue eyes slowly opened.

"Troy? Are you okay? What hurts?" Ms. Darbus said, trying to act calm. Should she call an ambulance?

Troy groaned." My hand. But it's fine. I'm okay."

"Are you sure? Let me see it?" She reached out to examine his hand, but he pulled back. He cradled his injured hand against his side and stood up.

"Why are you even here? You hate me…and my father. I don't need you. I don't need anyone! Just leave me alone!" He said turning away from her.

"You're wrong…" She started.

"What?" He turned around.

"You're wrong. I don't hate you or your father. And you do need me. And your friends. You don't have to go through this alone, Mr. Bolton. No one should have to." She walked closer to him, reaching for his hand. He flinched when she touched it, but didn't pull away.

"This might hurt," She said as she pulled the remaining glass shards out of his hand. He hissed in pain, and wrenched his hand out her grasp.

"Ow! Why did you do that?"

"Someone is going to eventually. It's either me or the EMT's. Which one would you rather have?" She asked motioning to hand.

"I'm not going to the hospital."

"Then let me see your hand." He reluctantly put his hand in her palm and she continued to pull the glass out of his bleeding knuckles. They sat in silence for a while, the only sounds were Troy's hisses or grunts because of the pain.

"You do know that I never hated your father?" Ms. Darbus said as she started to wrap his hand with the bandages from the first aid box.

"Then why were you always fighting with him?"

"We disagreed on a lot of things, I'll give you that. But we didn't dislike each other. To tell you the truth, I used to have a crush on him." She winked at Troy.

"Ew, I did not need to know that." She laughed and went on.

"Troy, I'm worried about you. You don't always have to be so strong. If you ever want to talk…" She put the final touches on his bandage and then gave him his hand back.

"You want me to talk? Alright," He said suddenly getting angry," I hate him. I hate him for leaving. I hate my mom for not telling me about the baby when she found out. I hate Chad and Taylor for having a dad. I hate that they don't have to go through this, when their best friends had to. It's not fair. It's not fair that they have dad's when me and my baby brother or sister don't." The tears that he had been trying to hold back where now on his cheeks.

Ms. Darbus put a hand on his shoulder." Troy, I know this is hard, but you cant be mad at your friends. They are the ones that you're going to need the most in these next few years."

"How would you know?"

"Because my mother died when I was around your age."

"Did she die thinking you hated her. That all you wanted was to for her to get out of your life?" The tears were streaming down his face.

"No, but I do know that my friends were the ones that helped me through it. Let them know what's going on in your life. You don't need to hide everything from them. They are still the same people before your dad's death."

"I know they're the same people, but everyone but Gabi is acting differently now. It's like they're afraid of me. I hate it." They heard the locker room door open and then Gabi's voice.

"Are you in here Troy?"

"Yeah, hold on!" he yelled to her. He wiped away the tears that stained his cheeks.

"Troy, before you leave, about what you said earlier. Just tell them." She walked out of the office, passing by Gabi.

"Troy? What happened? Are you okay?" She asked touching his injured hand and then his face.

He sighed. "I will be."

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_Reviews are greatly appreciated!_

Let me know what you want to see happen or any pairings. I'll try my best to have them happen.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N- Thank you to those of you who reviewed. Sorry that I haven't posted in a long time...I went to Australia and then right after that I went to Washington D.C. for my 8th grade class trip, and then softball started and then I was graduating. Then I had softball in the summer and went right into field hockey at my new high school. Now I have a tiny bit of time and decided to post._

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"So, you're the new coach?" Troy asked as he studied the strange man up down. Troy now sported a red cast on his arm but was still determined to play in the championships.

"Coach Gourley." The awkward man stood tall and proud in front of the group of boys. He had thin grey hair and big greyish blue eyes. The skin was old and wrinkley that showed from beneath his shorts and shirt.

"So, um, do you know anything about basketball?" Chad inquired. He didn't mean to offensive, but the man didn't look like the athletic type.

"I know the basic concept, but don't worry about that, I'm anxious to learn." He smiled at the boys, but recieved nothing back. This guy was pissing Troy off.

"Okay, so we're going to start practice, all you have to do is stand over there and watch." Troy led the group onto the court but was stopped by the new coach.

"Well, wait just one second, kid, I'm your coach. I am going to run practice." He stood up straight and tall and looked straight into Troy's glaring eyes. Troy suddenly jumped and tackled the old man. He knocked him on his back and Troy was leaning on him as he tried to catch his breath. The other boys just stared. They had seen the anger beaming from Troy's eyes and heard his breathing getting more iratic.

"You are not our coach. You are not going to run practice. Just cause you got some little badge doesn't mean you get to run this practice. Now, just go over to the bleachers and sit down. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two about basketball," Troy growled into his ear. He got up, leaving the older man stunned, lying on the ground.

"You know kid, I could get you into some serious trouble for that little prank you pulled jsut now," Coach Gourley said while he sat up gingerely, stretching out his old, stiff limbs.

"You know, at this point I really don't care what you do. Please, go ahead and leave. Maybe then I can run this practice." He glared at the man.

"I've had enough of your smart mouth. I'm going to report this." He couldn't hold it together much longer. Troy's glare was piercing, sending chills down his spine that a 16-year old kid could have such a defiant stare.

"Go ahead, I don't have anything left to lose." He smirked at him as he turned to leave. His team mates stood behind him, worried. What did he mean he didn't have anything left to lose?

"Alright, pair up. Let's do full court lay-ups."

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"He said what? Why would he say that? Did you talk to him about it?"

"Well, no, I mean he pretty much left right after. He was pretty upset. Me and the guys just figured he needed space…"

"Chad! That's the thing he probably didn't need the most. He needs his friends the most right now."

"Okay, okay, Taylor. I get it, I screwed up. What now?"

"I don't know Chad, why don't you call Gabbi? I'm sure she has more knowledge on this than I do."

"But, I don't want to, I mean what if I upset her? Then I would two screw-ups today and that wouldn't be good. And then if Gabbi's upset then she won't be able to help Troy until she's okay, but she might not be okay for a while, you never know. You know, I think you should call her, it would just be a lot better." Chad crossed his fingers as he heard Taylor deciding on the other side of the phone. He heard her sigh, a sure sign that she had given in.

"Alright, I'll call her. But don't expect any other favors for a while."

"I love you, too."

"Good-bye Chad."

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_So it's short, but it's an update! I'm really trying to update more, but I have a hectic schedule and I just can't seem to find time to write. If anyone has any ideas/suggestions please let me know, don't be shy. Constructive criticism is fine, but nothing too harsh please! _


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